Victory in a Can
I was agitated because I needed to ride my mules across the bridge leading from Iowa to Nebraska. It was hella narrow. He pulled up and asked, “do you drink beer?” and handed me a cold Pabst Blue Ribbon.
“Hell yeah!” I said and tucked the beer away in my pommel bag. He gave me the thumbs-up and I rode toward the bridge that was giving me the yips. I felt calmer knowing there was a… Continue reading
Miles or Steps? Measure of a Journey.
Folks often ask me, “how many miles can you and the mules travel in a day?”.
I tell them 25 and they’re not impressed.
25 miles. Big… Continue reading
Crop Duster Dusting
The yellow plane roared out of the sunset over my tent. A crop duster applying chemicals to the soybean field next to where I was camped with my mules.
Back and forth the plane swooped over the bean field.
I wondered about the mid-West breast cancer rate. I wondered about all those farmers I’d met with second wives. Over and over they’d told me, “my first wife… Continue reading
Hoof Boot Friday
You may not know this but today is Hoof Boot Friday. Because I say it is. In honor of this day I’m doing routine maintenance on my hoof boots. The mules have traveled 1,200 miles in them. They need a bit of love.
Resting in Central City
2 bags of feed, a salt block and a patch of grass they couldn’t eat in a week. The mules are holed up in Central City, Nebraska, enjoying 2 days off after 2 weeks of almost uninterrupted walking.
Mule Lodging Log
97 days ago I rode mules Brick and Cracker out the front gate and headed West. I’ve kept a record of where I’ve slept every night since then. Also who I stayed with and how many miles I covered that day.
In 3 days I’ll have been gone from my home and wife Julia for 100 days. I sure miss Julia… Continue reading
Hordville Hello
Greetings from Hordville, Nebraska. The mules and I arrived here this morning (July 17, 2019) and set up a welcome camp under the linden tree by the rail road tracks. A wonderful place to duck the heat before things heated up this afternoon.
Temperatures have been in the 90s all this week with higher temps forecast. This limits the amount of time the mules… Continue reading
Road Kill Fish
Catfish hung on stop signs. Catfish flung on the shoulder. A dead chub on the highway. Lately mules Brick and Cracker and I have come across dead fish where you wouldn’t expect them – along the side of the road. I put them in to a post card-like arrangement I though you’d enjoy.
Right now… Continue reading
Sunday Shadow
Good Sunday morning to you friend. Daytime temps here in western Nebraska have been in the mid-90s so we start early. I try to be on the road with the mules before the sun comes up. I hope your Sunday’s going well and you got done in the morning cool whatever it is you had planned.
This morning the mules and I are east of Ashland, Nebraska. We’re heading toward Valparaiso.
Safari Park Day Off
A bag of corn, a bucket of water and a salt block. Oh, and a herd of elk. The mules are chillin’ on their day off. We’re guests of the Lee G Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari.
The Lee G Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari features… Continue reading